Y-Block Worries and How To Home-Balance Wheels - letters from December 2009

Feature Article from Hemmings Motor News

Q: Jim Griffin wrote to you in July 2009 to ask about how to adjust the cable brakes on his 1938 Ford Tudor Sedan DeLuxe. His question reminded me of the time (many, many years ago) that I was a high school student and worked part-time at a Fire-stone shop. This was how we adjusted cable/mechanical brakes:
The car was driven onto a rack; each wheel was driven by an electric motor, and had a gauge, and the rack was adjustable for the wheelbase. This was a two-man job; one man in the car would apply the brakes, and the other, in the pit, was making adjustments to synchronize the gauges, and thus, the brakes.
Are you familiar with this "tool," and is it still in use today?
Jim Husa
Via the Internet
A: I thought this was an innovative way of dealing with the brake adjustment on the old Ford mechanical brakes. It also reveals what a hassle adjusting is, to have to come up with such a complex machine to accomplish the task."The safety of steel from pedal to wheel." -Henry FordHot Headed
Q: I have a 1957 Thunderbird with a 312-cu.in. Y-block, a single Holley four-barrel carburetor and an automatic transmission. The odometer shows about 27,000 miles, and while the seller would not vouch for this being the true mileage, I have seen nothing that would suggest that this is very far off.
My problem is overheating. When I first got the car, it would overheat at any speed. It would only stay at a reasonable temperature--but still far too hot--at highway speeds with the heater full-on. I have done the following, in this order: replaced the thermostat, no difference. Replaced the radiator with a higher-capacity four-core (versus the stock three-row) unit, no change. Replaced the temperature sending unit, no difference. Tested the engine for manifold gasket leaks, result negative. Replaced the water pump with a specially modified one with extra impellers and a large-throat thermostat--now the engine stays at the proper temperature at highway speeds with the heater off, but still overheats in around-town speeds up to 40 MPH, although it takes much longer to heat up than it used to.
Using a laser thermometer on the engine shows that the engine is actually overheating, and is doing so more or less evenly. At least the temperature differences across the top of the engine stay consistent with the readings from my other V-8 (GM) cars from the 1960s and '70s.
While none of the local people who owned Ford Y-block cars in the 1950s and '60s recall any overheating issues, it seems to me that the engine is simply not moving enough water at low RPM. While I would like to keep this car at least looking as stock as possible, I see two options at this point: either change the size of the pulleys driving the water pump to speed up the pump, or adding an electric water pump to keep the flow high at low speeds.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Ron Herbert
West Liberty, Ohio
A: I can think of a couple of possibilities here, Ron. I like to hear someone mention "boiling over" when they talk about an overheating problem, as that immediately cuts through all the issues about gauge and sending unit accuracy. But without that information, I have to assume that the temperature gauge (which you didn't mention replacing) is also in question here.Another possibility is that you have a blockage in the cooling system that is not easily found, such as in the heads or in the block itself. Maybe that's why the car only has 27,000 miles on it--maybe no one dug deep enough to discover the real reason.So if it hasn't boiled over yet, I would install at least a temporary recovery tank, and drive it until it does. If it never does boil over, I'd replace the temperature gauge. If it does boil over after all of the improvements you've made on the cooling system, you may need to take more invasive measures to ensure there are no problems inside your block or heads.One other item which I'm sure you've already checked--make sure that your timing is correct, and that the advance mechanism in the distributor is functioning correctly.A Question of Balance
Q: I need to have the wheels balanced on a 1936 Ford pickup. I can't find anyone in the Concord, New Hampshire, area who can do it, because nobody has the proper size plate that bolts onto the wheels for the balancer. Do you know of any place that can do it, or where I can order such a plate?
Dick
Contoocook, New Hampshire
A: I assume you are referring to the wide five-lug bolt pattern similar to the pre-1968 Volkswagen wheels? Coker Tire has the adapter, but they are the only ones that I know of. Short of finding an old garage with an "on the car" spin balancer, you may be left attempting to get them balanced within reason on your own. If they are really out, you can sometimes improve them by allowing the jacked-up front tire to spin until it stops; the heaviest spot will of course be at the bottom, so add a little weight to the top. It helps if the brake shoes aren't dragging, and also if the wheel bearings are clean and lubed with light oil.

This article originally appeared in the December, 2009 issue of Hemmings Motor News.